France signs a contract with Greece today to sell Rafale frigates and fighters

 France will sign today in Athens a contract to sell Greece three defense and intervention frigates and six Rafale fighters, within two contracts that constitute a new strengthening of military cooperation between the two countries.

In the presence of the General Director of the Naval Group "Naval Group" Pierre-Eric Pomillet, the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, and her Greek counterpart, Nikos Panayotopoulos, will first sign a contract for the three frigates to be built by the "Naval Group" in Lorient, western France, to be delivered to the Greek Navy in 2025 and 2026.

Eric Trapez, General Manager of Dassault Aviation Group, was also present to sign a second contract related to the delivery of six additional new Rafale aircraft.

A deal was signed to sell 18 of these fighters last year, including seven that were delivered to Greece.

Greece and France had begun to strengthen their military cooperation in the summer of 2020 to counter Turkish attempts to explore for gas in the disputed areas in the eastern Mediterranean.

Greece decided last year to enhance its military capacity and requested from France 24 Rafale fighters and three frigates, with a total value of more than 5.5 billion euros.

Contracts for additional frigates and Rafale fighters will be signed Thursday afternoon, on the eve of Greece's national holiday, on the Averov, a museum ship symbolizing Greek maritime history, docked in Faleron, a maritime district on the outskirts of Athens.